Relaxing Massages: Here’s How To Do Them Perfectly

Avoid giving massages to those suffering from back problems, as this could make the situation worse. Always remember to do the massages in an upward direction to promote circulation

Most of us are neither professionals  nor have an official title as a physiotherapist, but that doesn’t mean that sometimes we don’t want to give someone relaxing massages, like our partner, for example.

It’s just about relaxing, we don’t want to relieve any back problems,  for this purpose, there are real professionals. However, are we able to offer a massage that can help combat tension and relax?

Of course yes! By following some simple instructions, you can give a moment of relaxation and peace to any of your loved ones. In our article today we want to share with you some basic tips to do this.

Prepare relaxing massages

Since your main goal is to relax, the setting is just as important as the massage itself. For this reason, you have to take into account some simple aspects:

Setting

• A pleasant lighting without too bright lights
• We advise you to put on some instrumental music, as songs with lyrics can be distracting
• You can perfume the room with a delicate and relaxing fragrance such as lavender

What do you need

• Some towels
• Paper or tissues to blot off excess oil
• To do the massage, you can use moisturizing milk or essential oils
• The advantage of essential oils is that they take longer to be absorbed by the skin and are rich in therapeutic benefits, as they are able, for example, to relieve, relax, reactivate the circulation or heal the skin. Here are the essential oils that we recommend:
  • Chamomile
  • Eucalyptus
  • Rosemary
  • Orchid
  • Sandal

The best location

The first thing we think about when we want to have a relaxing massage is that we have to lie down. In reality, however, if you have no experience, experts recommend doing massages by having the person sit up.

If you have the other person sit in a chair with a low back, it will be easier for you to move. When, on the other hand, the other person is lying down, it is more complicated and, with a wrong movement, you can hurt yourself, for example with a strain of the cervical or back.

For this reason, we recommend that you follow these steps:

• Choose a chair without a back or with a low back

• Have the other person lean forward
• You can place pillows or towels to make her feel more comfortable

In this position, making relaxing massages will be much easier for you.

How to do relaxing massages

Once the other person has relaxed in the chair and you are surrounded by a good atmosphere, you can start with your massage.

The parts of our body where massages are most effective are, without a doubt, the neck and shoulders. In fact, this is where all the excess tension accumulates. We will therefore focus on this area.

Massage techniques

• You have to use your whole hand. There are those who limit themselves to massages only with the fingertips. However, doing them this way will tire you out faster. Use your hands and help yourself with your whole body to carry out the movements.

• The first thing to do is to warn the person receiving the massage that you are about to start. She may feel a slight impact when you apply your hand or oil to them, so ask her to take a deep breath and hold the air for a few seconds.
• Start by pouring in the oil to expand it well with light, wide strokes.
• Use your whole hand and start at the lower back, then work your way up. The movements must always be upwards, to respect the blood flow that goes towards the heart.
• You can also use the dough or pressure technique, being very careful. This technique consists in making circles with the fingers around the shoulder area, the neck area and the area in the middle of the back, also applying light pressure for a few seconds.

• When kneading, the thumb and palm of your hand should advance along the section of muscle you are working on. This step takes 4 to 5 minutes.
• You must remember that a massage has a sequence and a rhythm. This means that if you start the movements with both hands on the neck and back, you cannot stop using one of the two hands suddenly because you are tired, otherwise you will break the rhythm and harmony of the massage.

Conclusions

You can end the massage with the fan technique. Just separate the fingers of the hand a lot (as if it were a fan) and then move them with an upward movement from the mid back to the neck. With these movements, you don’t have to apply pressure, just “drag” your fingers upwards.

Finally, always remember that you are not an expert and, for this reason, you must avoid giving a relaxing massage to someone who suffers from pain or neck injuries, because you could make their problem worse.

Relaxing massages need to be very gentle and you need to use atmosphere and simple physical contact to enhance the experience.